So far, and yet so close.
It was a foregone conclusion that
Chihayafuru would end up somewhere in my 12 Days posts. The question was, which moment to pick? I love this show almost too much; what one moment would be able encapsulate and explain my ongoing love for this series? But I finally settled on a moment, or rather an entire episode. Episode 14 covers a lot of what I love about this show.
A lot of the focus of the series is placed on Chihaya's long-term goal of becoming the Queen, the best female karuta player. This episode comes right after a tournament arc that made Chihaya aware of how long the road to Queen would be. And yet, right in the next tournament, there she is. The youngest Queen in history. Her goal is staring her right in the face.
And she's damn good. She moves too fast for even a video camera to follow. Once again, the road between Chihaya and her goal looks impossibly long. But then Chihaya does what she does best. She collects herself. She remembers what she learned. And she takes a card from the Queen. Twice.
The build-up and the moment of victory is so, so sweet. Even though Chihaya loses the match in the next episode, her mark is made. She's a contender. The road might be long, but it's nothing she can't handle.
Images from Crunchyroll.com.
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